Chapter 017

✥Two Years Later

Driving over a bridge with a earbud in his ear was Kim Kyujong as he speak to the caller on the phone. “Where am I right now? Uh maybe twenty minutes away from you, why? Did you wanted to see my face that bad?” Kyujong asked with an amused chuckle.

“If the world has a list of most ugly faces yours would be the first,” his caller insulted causing a laughter to come out of Kyujong instantly.

“Yours would be second to mine Kim Hyungjun,” Kyujong said, then heard Hyungjun scoffed.

“Just hurry and get here already, how can you be slower than someone who was coming here from the states?”

“Maybe because not everyone can afford private jets my friend,” Kyujong joked.

“Whatever,” Hyungjun voiced before hanging up. An entertained smile crossed Kyujong’s face as he waited for both lines to disconnect. Then he let down the window and allowed the wind to rushed in and howled around him. Carefully he reached over and grabbed a piece of gum from the whole strawberry gum box and toss a piece into his mouth. As he chewed slowly he could taste the flavor as it melt in his mouth.

In the packed streets of Seoul, Kyujong had to park farther than he had wanted from the promised destination. As Kyujong walked a block or two, he came to a halt upon seeing his friends at a table through the glass window. A smile briefly scarred his face as he entered and headed their direction. At the table was Junghwa, Sungyeol, Hyungjun, and four faces Kyujong was unfamiliar with.

“Kyujong my good friend! You’re finally here! Thank goodness we thought we were going to starve just waiting for you,” Hyungjun complained with a roll of his eyes this time sitting beside Kyujong.

“It’s your fault. You should have chosen a location with a better parking space,” Kyujong countered.

Instead of arguing Hyungjun only chuckled with guilt before leaning back and began to introduce each of the party member, “Hey, meet our good friends. Sitting to my left here is Lee Sungjong, a student and part time advertiser also known as Sungyeol’s discipline. Beside him is Kim Myungsoo, a full time advertiser who works with Sungyeol as his team leader. Across from them are High School students of Junghwa, Jisoo and Shin Jaeha. Also students who offered to help her around the school if she needed any,”

As they exchanged their greetings, Sungyeol quickly jump onto another topic. “Preside-I mean Kyujong,” his mistake caused short laughter among the crowd, “how’s work? I haven’t been in Incheon for a while, is the hotel still standing?”

“As long as it’s under my care, the hotel will always be standing,” Kyujong said, putting a wide smile on Sungyeol’s face. Then quickly Kyujong made eye contact with Junghwa, who was seated beside Sungyeol and had on a big smile. “Junghwa, is that…?”

“She’s big isn’t she?” Sungyeol asked, speaking up for Junghwa as he placed an arm around her shoulder, “they say it’s a boy, I’m going to be a dad Kyujong,” Sungyeol’s proud smile turned into a groan when Junghwa elbowed his side.

“What did I tell you about holding and rocking me?” She hissed by his ears.

“Why?” Sungyeol whispered back in a rushed tone.

“Looks like you two really do get along,” Kyujong commented, putting chuckles at the table.

“Remember how I used to say Seoul women are scary and crazy? That saying is still valid,” Sungyeol whispered over, but loud enough to tease Junghwa, causing her to smack him on the arm.

“When is the baby shower? I’ll take care of it,” Kyujong offered but was stopped by Hyungjun.

“Oh-ho I’m already in charge of this one. You will have to find another task if you want to help,” he said.

“Like what?” Kyujong asked.

“There’s a special guest who won’t come to the baby shower no matter how many times we begged him,” Hyungjun said.

“Like who?” Kyujong asked, cluelessly.

“Youngsaeng,” Sungyeol replied almost instantly.

It has been about 700 days since Kyujong last heard that name. As he fell into a moment of silence, a question quickly arose in his mind.

“Where is he now?”

Kyujong didn’t expect to see Youngsaeng become a child caretaker. He had always thought that one day Youngsaeng will strived in the entrepreneurial realm with him. And when he found the lad running a small orphanage home with two others, he was surprised to see how good Youngsaeng was with children. Playing in the front yard with a slide as the highlight of the small playground, Kyujong walked closer to the fence that separated the running children from intruders.

Kyujong rested his arms over the fence just up to his chest as he examined the scene before him. His heart beating rapidly as he noticed Youngsaeng’s weight loss and the small changes, such as his darker hair colored and the darker of his skin color.

“Hello there,” Kyujong heard one of the caretaker call out to him, catching all of the adults at the scenes attention. As the three look at Kyujong, Kyujong only kept his eyes on Youngsaeng. The male who had been playing with the children stopped in his playful steps and stood up straight, though three children cling and pulled onto him, it didn’t ripped his eyes from Kyujong’s.

Not wanting to be rude, Youngsaeng had found an empty bench for him and Kyujong to converse at just behind the fence and across from the playing children. Youngsaeng glanced over, smiling to children waving to him. Meanwhile at the door his two co-workers played along with the kids games.

“I thought you would be making a name for yourself all these years,” Kyujong started, at that Youngsaeng turn to face him and pursed his lips together.

“That is more of a Hyungjun thing,” he answered, “but anyway, why are you here?” Youngsaeng asked, getting right to the topic.

Kyujong sighed a little, dismay at the tone of Youngsaeng’s voice despite their first meeting in a long time. “I came from a gathering with friends, everyone but you were there,”

“Ah those,” Youngsaeng said instantly after, “I don’t do reunions anymore you see,”

“Why not?”

“Waste of time really. I’m happy living here where I get to meet new faces and see these children grow up. Seeing how they do good even as orphans gives me satisfaction and happiness,” Youngsaeng explained with a soft smile. At the topic of orphanage, Kyujong knew fairly well that Youngsaeng was related to it along with him.

“That’s it then, it’s good memories they give you,” Kyujong mumbled to himself before saying, “I only stopped by because Hyungjun would be holding a baby shower for Junghwa and Sungyeol and they wanted you to come along,”

“I got their invitation but I’m not going. Junghwa was once my woman but because of how things ended up, I wouldn’t want to be on any further awkward terms with both her and Sungyeol. If you came here to invite me or convince me then you can go back,” Youngsaeng said as he ready to stand and leave the table, but Kyujong stopped him with a question.

“If I can’t convince you then maybe you can convince me,” he began, plastering a confused faze on Youngsaeng’s Asian facials.

“About what?”

“That you were just a passing wind,” Kyujong said as he looked elsewhere. In the split second that Youngsaeng was confused, it also took less than a minute for him to realize what Kyujong was speaking about. “You may want me to see and only think of you as the passing wind, but you’ve made too much of an impact in my life. You weren’t just passing wind, Youngsaeng. You were a storm and the light after that storm. So how can I see you as something else? If I can’t convince you to come then maybe you can convince me why I should leave you alone,”

As they sat in silence for a brief moment Youngsaeng made the attempt to answer, “Not everyone is made for someone—”

“Then some are made for another?” Kyujong cut in, “Don’t involve people who has nothing to do with this, don’t try to change the topic either. I want a rational reason why I should think otherwise, why I should see you as some breeze and nothing more and nothing  less,”

“There’s a reason why men shouldn’t be with men and women shouldn’t be with women. As much as I want to accept your love and love you the same, we just weren’t meant to be Kyujong. Later on in life you would come to meet your special someone, someone who was more than a storm and would be brighter than even day,”

This time Kyujong eyed Youngsaeng and did not bother blinking, “Love has no gender, society too has no say in love. Putting everything aside, I need to hear it from you. What do you think and want? Not what do you think the world think or want,”

“Those blinded by love would say that Kyujong, but I...I don’t think I have the courage to love you,” Youngsaeng admitted.

“Is that your final answer?” Kyujong asked with a hint of annoyance in his tone, “Am I not that deserving of your love Youngsaeng?” Kyujong asked, louder this time.

“Kyujong I—”

“Do you really not feel anything when you’re with me? Am I the only one who thinks this is actually love? What am I to you? Just a friend? Just someone you want to think of you as something passing by? A nobody?” Kyujong asked, frustration burning in his eyes.

“You did moved me!” Youngsaeng shouted this time, “But that was because I was confused. What you’re doing to me isn’t love Kyujong. It’s revenge. I am sorry about what happened but it’s time you stop, I’d even go and kneel before your family’s headstones if that will stop you from torturing me,” Youngsaeng had water in his eyes by this point, but did not want to cry before Kyujong.

“Is me loving you really that torturous…?” Kyujong trailed off once Youngsaeng had turned elsewhere in order to stop himself from crying.

“You should leave. I need to get back to work, the children are waiting for me,” Youngsaeng said as he got up, wiping the coming tears from his face before sniffling and heading toward the gate. Before Youngsaeng could get past the gate, Kyujong stood up and called out to him.

“I’ll wait Youngsaeng! I’ll wait til the day you find the courage to love me too!”

After hearing it, Youngsaeng hurried through the gate and locked it before joining up with the other two adults. Kyujong sighed as he watched how they hurry the group of children of at least ten into the small building.

For the next two months Kyujong would show up whenever he can to persuade Youngsaeng about the baby shower and to give him another chance. Just two days before the big event, Kyujong held the globe necklace before Youngsaeng. “There’s only one copy in this whole world and I want you to have it,”

Youngsaeng eyed the item but did not make the effort to reach for it. “I’m not going to the event,”

“That’s fine, don’t come,” Kyujong replied but did not pull away from holding up the necklace to the male, “but at least take this,” he said.

“And do what with it?” Youngsaeng asked despite already knowing what it’s for.

“Put it around your neck and if any child ask where you got it from, you can tell him it’s from your boyfriend,” Kyujong said with a small smile. Youngsaeng rolled his eyes at that.

“Why? So the child could mock me?”

“No, so the child will know that love has no boundaries,” Kyujong answered immediately, “hurry, it’s weighing my arm down,”

Youngsaeng folded his arms across his chest and eyed only Kyujong, avoiding the necklace being held to their eye level, “If I go to the party will you stop coming here?”

Kyujong shook his head, “I told you, don’t come to the event. No one there will miss you. But I will keep coming because I miss you,” After a few seconds of no words being exchanged, Youngsaeng finally looked at the item. Then as he reach to grab it, Kyujong caught his hand in his and squeezed it.

“This means you’re going to give me another chance right?” Youngsaeng tried to pull his hand away but Kyujong’s grip overpowered him. In the pulling, Kyujong used it as the perfect moment to pull Youngsaeng against him and wrapped his arms around the lad. “You’ll love me not as a friend but as a lover from now on, right?”

With a heavy sigh Kyujong felt the hands of Youngsaeng crawling upon his shoulder pads, “This is your last chance,” he breathed. A smile grew gradually over Kyujong’s face as he tighten his embrace.

“I’ll make it count. I’ll love you more than before and together we’ll only walk down a good memory lane,” Kyujong said as he took in Youngsaeng’s scent under his nostril.

Youngsaeng scoffed at his cheesy lines, “All you had to do was wait, I would have found the courage to love you either way,”

At this Kyujong pulled away and frowned, “After so many years? How many years has it been to be exact?” He asked to no one in particular.

“They say patience is a virtue,” Youngsaeng replied, putting a smile on Kyujong’s face again, before the taller pull him into another hold.

“This may sound bad but I’m glad you were in a coma. It gave me the chance to meet you again,” Kyujong said and Youngsaeng chuckled a little in disbelief.

“You should thank Hyungjun, it was him who put me in the coma,”

“What?” Kyujong asked, pulling away from Youngsaeng and quickly captured his eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You didn’t know? He kept complaining about how we don’t hang out anymore. I guess because we couldn’t get you to come down, he lied to me that you were in some sort of trouble. So when I tried to rush there, I got into an accident,”

Kyujong’s eyes widen and jaw dropped a little at it, “Is that why he quietly supported you without telling me?!”

“Maybe?” Youngsaeng answered with a brief smile to tease Kyujong’s anger.

“Wait here, I’m going to put him in the hospital—” Kyujong was about to take off but Youngsaeng held him back and instead threw himself back against Kyujong’s chest.

“Oh why? I thought just a few moments ago you were going to thank Hyungjun regarding the coma?” Youngsaeng asked. Once Youngsaeng’s arms were wrapped around Kyujong’s waist, the latter no longer care for the said man.

“I can always thank him after I put him in the hospital,” Kyujong joked as he too pulled his arms around all of Youngsaeng’s forearm and upper body. As the afternoon neared children came out from eating and onto the playground. At this Kyujong and Youngsaeng’s attention turned to the many children that ran by.

And in the hand of Youngsaeng, a child no older than four caught the globe around the chain, “Teacher Heo, what is that?”

“This?” Youngsaeng asked looking down at his hand and moving the necklace toward the kid. The boy nodded and waited for an answer. At this Kyujong and Youngsaeng exchanged short eye contact before Kyujong winked at the lad. “Oh it’s a necklace,”

“Where did you get it?” the child ask.

“Oh, um, my boyfriend gave it to me,” Youngsaeng replied.

“Boyfriend?”

At this Kyujong bend over to get closer to the child’s eye level, “I’m your teacher Heo’s boyfriend, and what’s your name?”

“My name is Kyuwoon,” the boy smiled.

“Kyuwoon?” Kyujong asked, then a smile grew on his face as well, “Kyuwoon is a handsome name,”

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has made it this far. The story took a whole new turn from what I had originally planned but I hope you all liked it. It was supposed to have chapters but meh I decided to keep it short, otherwise it would have been too draggy. Once again thank you for all of my readers! I know it's terrible to not update regularly but I hope it was an okay story nonetheless.

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